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Charity to fully fund £9m centres for early career researchers studying dementia
The Alzheimer’s Society has said it will invest £9 million in three doctoral training centres to help support early careers researchers working on dementia, in a bid to address the underfunding of research in the field.
Just under 90 students are slated to be part of the centres over a period of five years, led by professors from Newcastle University and Queen Mary University of London.
The charity said that only one in five PhD students studying dementia remain in the field, a problem caused by “underfunding”.
The project aims to “encourage people to enter the field of dementia research”, as well as create a “supportive network” to help retain them in the discipline.
“These [centres] will give students in the early stages of their [careers] fantastic opportunities to collaborate with their peers and build knowledge, as well as access world-class expertise, the latest technology and training,” said Alzheimer’s Society’s chief policy and research officer, Fiona Carragher.
“Their research will lead to vital new knowledge where huge gaps remain,” she continued.
Fully charity funded
The investment is fully funded by the Alzheimer’s Society, a move that a spokesperson for the charity told Research Professional News is “part of our commitment to providing support to early career researchers”.
“Research is hope, and will beat dementia; therefore, it is crucial to invest in increasing dementia research capacity,” the spokesperson added.
While UKRI-funded experts will be working with the Alzheimer’s Society for the delivery of teaching at the centres, no part of the project is funded by the body, the spokesperson added.
Past commitments
The previous government was criticised by researchers for its unfulfilled commitments to dementia research and clinical trials.
It was found in 2022 that funding for dementia R&D decreased during the pandemic—from £112.9m in 2018-10 to £104.7m in 2019-20, which then shadow science minister Chi Onuwurah said represented a “another broken promise to the British people and scientific community”.
A study in 2022 by The Lancet Public Health also called for more funding for research on dementia, while in 2023, Alzheimer’s Research UK called upon political parties ahead of the 2024 election to set out a “long-term strategic and sustainable plan” for dementia research funding.
In its 2024 manifesto, the Labour Party pledged to “put Britain at the forefront of transforming treatment of dementia” with more opportunities available for people to take part in clinical trials and “embed a greater focus on prevention throughout the entire healthcare system”.